Naharkatiya

Naharkatia
Naharkatia
city
	Aerial view of Naharkatia near Tuesday Market
	Naharkatia Location in Assam, India.
	Coordinates: 27°17′N95°20′E / 27.28°N 95.33°E
Country	India
State	Assam
District	Dibrugarh
Government
• Body	Naharkatia Municipal Board
Elevation	121 m (397 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	18,937
Languages
• Official	Assamese
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	786610
Telephone code	(+91)374
Vehicle registration	AS-06

Last updated April 12, 2024

Naharkatia (previously spelt as Naharkatiya or Nahorkatiya) is a town and a Municipal board in Dibrugarh district in the Indian state of Assam. It is well known for petroleum and gas reserves. Earlier, Duliajan, the head office town of Oil India Limited was in its circle. However, the towns are close, within a 30-minute journey.

Culture

Bihu is the major indigenous festival of Assam. During Bohag Rangali Bihu season, a Bihu dance competition is held in Langharjan stadium. It is a week-long celebration for all the indigenous Assamese communities in the region.

Durga Puja is another local festival observed. The idol of the goddess Durga is worshiped and the town is decorated with lights and pandals. On the last day a procession is organized, known as Bhasan. In the past, prizes were given to the best Durga Puja Pandal Committee.

Sangken or the Water Festival is a festival celebrated in the month of April by the Tai Phake people and it continues to be a special attraction for tourists visiting Namphake village during this period.

Mangalbaria (Tuesday) Bazaar is the local market.

A sports stadium known as Langharjan Field is situated at the outskirts of the town.

Demographics

According to the 2011 India census, Naharkatia had a population of 18,937 which 9,790 are males while 9,147 are females. Naharkatia has an literacy rate of 87.29%, higher than the state average of 72.19%; male literacy is 91.23%, and female literacy is 83.08%. In Naharkatia, 9.76% of the population is under 6 years of age.^[2]

The town is an amalgamation of many communities, mainly Assamese, Bengali, Indian Gorkha, Bihari and many Marwari people reside in the town area. A few Punjabi families have also lived in the town for many years.

About six kilometers from the town, a village named, 'Namphake' is situated which is the largest village inhabited by the Tai-Phake people in Assam. This village houses a Buddhist monastery and handicrafts woven by them are very beautiful. The monastery is a tourist attraction and is considered to be meditation center in a serene atmosphere.^[3] The town is more attractive due to the three tea estates.

There are also few Bodo, Manipuri families who reside outside the town.

Language

Languages spoken in Naharkatiya (2011)^[4]

Assamese (43.87%)

Bengali (27.15%)

Hindi (16.54%)

Odia (3.73%)

Nepali (1.42%)

others (7.29%)

Assamese is the most spoken language at 8,307 speakers, followed by Bangla at 5,141, Hindi is spoken by 3,133 people, Odia at 707 and Nepali at 270.

Economy

The town is a commercial hub for nearby tea gardens and villages.

A few kilometres away, a rainforest is found along Joypur and cross it to get into Arunachal Pradesh. The illegal wood business has been minimized by regulation.

Education

Naharkatiya College (1964): Offers higher secondary and bachelor's degrees in Arts and Commerce and has a study center of Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU).
Naharkatia Higher Secondary School (Class VI - XII) (1939): Assamese Medium school with Arts, Science and Vocational studies in Higher Secondary Section.
St. Mary's School, Naharkatia (1958) (English medium): The school initially had class L.K.G - Class X. Since 2008 the school has extended its education to higher secondary section and offers education in the Arts.
Shankardev Sishu Niketan, Naharkatia (1998): An Assamese medium school. (Class Primary-X)
Naharkatia Model High School
Naharkatia Vidya Mandir School: A Bengali medium school (Class I-X).
R.K. Jitani Hindi Vidyalaya: A Hindi medium school (Class i-X).
St. Xavier School,NAharkatia
Weingken English School

● Naharkatia New High School

Other educational institutions are Town MV School and Naharkatia Junior College.

Geography

Burhi Dihing, a tributary of Brahmaputra, flows through the town.

Sasoni Gojpuria, Gabhoru Dolong, Merbill Echo-Tourism,^[5] and Namphake are villages a few kilometres away.

History

The name Naharkatia is connected with the history of killing or punishment of Prince Nahar, an adopted son of the Tai-Ahom king Sukhampha, also known as Khora Raja, punished by Kalia Chaodang. According to local saying, 'one Ahom Noble Kalia Chaodang' was entrusted to punish Prince Nahar at Bardoiyamukh for his misdeeds against the important Tai-Ahom nobles including the Ministers. This Kalia alias Kola Chaodang was finally settled near today's Naharkatia Railway Station and from this episode, the area became Nahakatia. Nahar+katiya, i.e., the person who cut or beheaded Nahar at the instance of Tai-Ahom king Siukhampha settled there. Naharkatiya was frequented by many Indian royals, including Austric King Sung-Saumara, Kachari kings Bicharpatipha, Mahamanukyapha, Tai-Ahom kings Chaolung Siukapha, Siukhampha alias Khora Raja during the attack of Koch General Chilarai on the capital Gargaon in 1562. Jaydhvajsimha visited while in exile during the Mughal invasion by Nabab Mirjumla, 1662.

Burmese General Mingimaha Tilwa traveled this route to Mung-dun-chun-kham in the early part of the 19th century.

Ahom General Patalsing Barbarua founded Jaypur garh against the advancing Burmese through this route, finally sacrificing his life at the hands of the Burmese at Jeypore.

Sriram Ata founded his Vaisnavi Satra there. Nocte Chief Narottama accepted the Vaisnav faith there.

Near Naharkatiya, historical Tipam, Jaypur and Namrup (derived from Namruk) rests. The oldest oil pool is located there. It is famous for tea gardens. It produced athletes and sports organisers.

Organizations

Politics

Naharkatia is the 120th Assembly constituency of Assam, which is a part of Dibrugarh (Lok Sabha constituency).^[6]

Members of Legislative Assembly

1978: Sasha Kamal Handique, Communist Party of India (Marxist).
1985: Kusumbar Tairai, Independent.
1991: Sasha Kamal Handique, Communist Party of India (Marxist).
1996: Pranati Phukan, Indian National Congress.
2000: Pranati Phukan, Indian National Congress.
2001: Pranati Phukan, Indian National Congress.
2006: Pranati Phukan, Indian National Congress.
2011: Pranati Phukan, Indian National Congress.
2016: Naren Sonowal, Asom Gana Parishad.
2020: Taranga Gogoi, Bharatiya Janata Party.

Sports

Naharkatia is very active town when talked about sports. It has given birth to several sports-person representing the state and the nation. The natives are very good with football, cricket, hockey, handball and chess. The youths are more drawn towards cricket and tae-kwon-do (Korean martial arts).

Transport

The Naharkatia Railway station serves as the railhead. Buses run frequently to and from Duliajan, Namrup, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Moran, Guwahati, Jorhat and Sibsagar.

Related Research Articles

Assam is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of 78,438 km² (30,285 sq mi). It is the second largest state in northeastern India by area and the largest in terms of population. The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur to the east; Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor, a 22-kilometre-wide (14 mi) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India. Assamese and Boro are the official languages of Assam. Meitei (Manipuri) is the official language of Hojai district and the entirety of the Barak Valley districts, while Bengali is an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley.

The Ahom or Tai-Ahom is an ethnic group from the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The members of this group are admixed descendants of the Tai people who reached the Brahmaputra valley of Assam in 1228 and the local indigenous people who joined them over the course of history. Sukaphaa, the leader of the Tai group and his 9,000 followers established the Ahom kingdom, which controlled much of the Brahmaputra Valley in modern Assam until 1826.

The Ahom language or Tai-Ahom language is a dead language, that was formerly spoken by the Ahom people, but which is currently undergoing a revival. Ahom is an important language in Tai studies. It was relatively free of both Mon-Khmer and Indo-Aryan influences and has a written tradition dating back to the 13th century.

Dibrugarh district (Pron:ˌdɪbru:ˈgor:) is a district in the state of Assam in India. The district headquarters are located within the city of Dibrugarh.

Tinsukia is an industrial town. It is situated 480 kilometres (298 mi) north-east of Guwahati and 84 kilometres (52 mi) away from the border with Arunachal Pradesh.Tinsukia serves as the headquarters of the Moran Autonomous Council, which is the governing council of the Morans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Namrup</span> Town in Assam, India

Namrup is a small town situated close to the foothills of the Patkai Hills in the extreme southeastern part of Assam, India. The river Dihing or Disang flows through it. Namrup is situated in amidst wet-paddy fields, indigenous Assamese villages, orchards, large tea-gardens and densely forested hills. Administratively Namrup is located within Dibrugarh district and is today an important industrial town of Assam. Namrup is approximately 75 km from Dibrugarh by road towards the south-east and approximately 50 km from Tinsukia towards the south. It is also a small railway station in Dibrugarh-Guwahati broad-gauge railway line. The nearest airport is Dibrugarh located at a distance of approximately 70 km. Other urban areas close to Namrup are Naharkatiya - 18 km, Duliajan - 35 km, Sonari - 20 km, Moran - 55 km, etc. by roadways. Namrup is located around 500 km east of Guwahati, the largest city in the North East Region.

Dibrugarh is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam in India. Dibrugarh serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council, which is the governing council of the Sonowal Kachari tribe.

Tinsukia district is one of the 34 administrative districts in the state of Assam, India. The district headquarters is located at Tinsukia city. The district occupies an area of 3790 km².

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sukaphaa</span> Ahom king

Sukaphaa, also Siu-Ka-Pha, the first Ahom king in medieval Assam, was the founder of the Ahom kingdom and the architect of Assam. A prince of the Su/Tsu (Tiger) clan of the Mao-Shan sub-tribe originally from present-day Mong Mao, Yunnan Province, China, the kingdom he established in 1228 existed for nearly six hundred years and in the process unified the various ethnic groups of the region that left a deep impact on the region. In reverence to his position in Assam's history the honorific Chaolung is generally associated with his name.

Duliajan is an industrial town of Dibrugarh district in the Indian state of Assam located in the upper north-east corner of India. The town is about 45 km east of Dibrugarh City. It is particularly known for its oil related industry, Oil India Limited, one of the country's largest oil and gas companies. There is also other central government owned companies like B.C.P.L. GDU Station, N.E.E.P.C.O., D.N.P.L., LPG Plant and the Shivani company which is India's largest private company for drilling. Assam Gas Company Limited, which carries out business related to natural gas in India owned by the Government of Assam, is also located in this township.

Sonari is a district Headquarter, mid-size town and a municipal board in newly announced Charaideo district in the Indian state of Assam.

Margherita is a census town in Tinsukia district in the Indian state of Assam. The sub-district town is surrounded by hills, tea gardens, forests and the Dihing River. It has a golf course at the foot of the hills and a small stream running through. Although considered to be a small town, Margherita has several hospitals and educational institutions and is regularly frequented by visitors on account of it being the last proper town of Upper Assam. The name Margherita actually derives from the Italian queen and dates back to the late 19th century as a token appreciation for the Italian Chief Engineer of a rail section Chevalier R Paganini who supervised the construction. Margherita was known for its collieries much developed by the British. Coal India Ltd has the biggest industrial plant here. The town is also known as Coal Queen as it is famous for coal business. Apart from this there are other industrial plants like Kitply and Tata Tea, along with minor plywood industries and tea gardens. Margherita has Tea Estates of the Williamson Magor Group. Namdang Tea Estate, Dirok Tea Estate, Dehing Tea Estate, Bogapani Tea Estate and Margherita Tea Estate are the 5 famous estates of the McLeod Russel India Limited Group situated at the sub division Margherita. McLeod Russel India Limited is one of the largest tea producers in Asia.

Khamyang is a critically endangered Tai language of India, spoken by the Khamyang people. Approximately fifty people speak the language; all reside in the village of Powaimukh, located seven miles downstream of Margherita in the Tinsukia district. It is closely related to the other Tai languages in the Assam region: Aiton, Khamti, Phake, and Turung.

Kulajan Tiniali is a town in Dhemaji district in the Indian state of Assam. The town is situated on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River, and is located approximately 493 kilometres from the city of Guwahati and just 13 km from Arunachal Pradesh. National Highway 15B starts at Kulajan and connects it to Dibrugarh.

Phukan or Phookan or Phukon is a surname of assamese origin and a Paik officer. Now the descendants' clans use it as a surname. This is usually used among the people of Assamese origin and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tingkhong</span> Town in Assam, India

Tingkhong is a town of Dibrugarh district of Assam state in northeast India. Administratively Tingkhong is located within Dibrugarh district and is today an important tea cultivation and oil exploration area of Assam. Tingkhong is approximately 80 km from Dibrugarh by road towards south-east and approximately 70 km from Tinsukia towards south. The nearest airport is Dibrugarh located at a distance of approximately 70 km and nearest small railway station is at Naharkatia town. Urban areas close to Tingkhong are Naharkatiya - 20 km, Duliajan - 33 km, Sonari - 18 km, Moran - 37 km, etc. by roadways.

All Tai Ahom Students Union (ATASU) or Chom Hom Lik Hen Tai Ahom Tang Mung in Ahom language is a students' union in Assam, India.

Naharkatia Assembly constituency is one of the 126 assembly constituencies of Assam a north east state of India. Naharkatia is also part of Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency.

Pranati Phukan is a former minister, deputy speaker and member of Assam Legislative Assembly.

References

↑ "redirect to /world/IN/03/Nahorkatiya.html". www.fallingrain.com.
↑ "Census of India 2011: Data from the 2011 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". census2011.co.in. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
↑ Namphake Village , Naharkatiya
↑ "Population By Mother Tongue". censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original (XLSX) on 24 July 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
↑ "Pledge to promote wetland tourism - Dibrugarh villagers take vow to turn Merbil into favoured destination". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015.
↑ "List of Parliamentary & Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Assam. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 6 October 2008.